A Different Tale
by Arodana
Summary: Eren has to adjust to his life as a titan, and a new member of the Scouting Legion. Levi seems to have an eye on him were ever he goes, and Eren has yet to determine if this is a good or bad thing. Sorry I'm bad a summaries ; ; M for future
1. Chapter 1

A simple flinch sent the trained man into a sense of guilt. It didn't get expressed in his features, and with a simple crossing of his legs, his voice filled the air.

"Hey Eren, do you hate me?"

It caught Eren by surprise, "No, I know it was necessary. It got the point across and…well now I'm alive."

The teen gave Levi a determined look and the Corporal gave a small nod before focusing his attention on the wall across from the couch they were sitting on. Hanji was dabbing at Eren's wounds, and Levi was brought back to focus when she exclaimed excitedly, "Oh! You lost your tooth! See? I have it right here!"

Levi frowned at the slightly bloodied tooth in her hand sitting delicately on white cloth, "That is disgusting, that thing must be filthy."

Zoe frowned, "Eren open your mouth. Oh my…it's already grown back!"

Eren sat with his mouth wide open and even Levi was curious to see if it really had grown back. The Corporal flicked his eyes over quickly and the tooth was, indeed, there. A flush had started to dance on the teen's features with everyone staring at him, bewildered about the discovery. Eren snapped his mouth shut before Zoe stuck her finger in and poke at it. The scientist pulled her hand back quickly with an upset expression, "Aw, you're no fun," A smile quickly danced across her face, "I look forward to experimenting on you!"

"What!?"

Eren suddenly became panicked and looked at Levi, "Corporal?"

The shorter man simply shrugged, "Why are you looking at me you brat? I'm not gonna help you get out her grip."

Levi hardly liked to interfere with Hanji's experiments simply because he had a sense of dread of how messy it would be if he got involved. If there was one thing he disliked more than titans, it was dirt. The corporal shifted on the couch he shared with Eren, and pushed himself up. He stretched slightly, "Get rested up, Yeager, for tomorrow we have somewhere to be."

With that he left, Erwin followed behind shortly and Eren was left confused. Where was he supposed to stay? He glanced at Zoe who gave him a look that said, 'Sorry'. Eren groaned, he was going to have to sleep in that pathetic cell for another night.

When Eren made it back to the cell, his thoughts were jumbled. So much had happened during the day. Though now he was going to have to prove himself capable in the eyes of many. On top of that, he was put under the stern watch of Corporal Levi. The thought brought him excitement and fear. The man was short but housed a lot of power. Enough to kick out one of his teeth and still leave marks on his cheeks, and to think he got beat by one of his heroes.

Eren sighed as his back hit the mattress, and sleep came quickly. He was thankful for it, despite being cooped up the last few days he was worn out from what had happened in the court room.

* * *

"…ren! Eren! Get up you lazy brat!"

The brunet jolted up, barely missing Levi's head with his own. The Corporal frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. Eren blinked a couple of times before rubbing his eyes and focusing on the Corporal with a dazed expression. "Corporal?"

The shorter man gave him a blank stare, "You've been sleeping for a while, we need to get going. I can't believe someone can sleep for so long," Levi sighed massaging his temples for a short period, "You are certainly something different."

The teen looked down, embarrassed by the statement. Though it seemed that the Corporal was going to take his job seriously in making sure Eren didn't fuck up. Levi glared down at Eren, who was still sitting in his bed. "Are you just going to sit there? Go wash yourself and then come find me. We have things to do."

Eren blinked and recalled the Corporal saying something like that yesterday. Though he had yet to really find out what was really meant by it. Before he could ask Levi was already making his way out of the dungeon the teen was being kept in. He released an irritated sigh before pushing himself out of the bed to go a clean himself, curious for what was in store for him.

* * *

"You want me to do what?"

Levi pulled the scarf that was covering the lower half of his face, "Did I stutter you shitty brat? I want you to clean."

The Scouting Legion had just arrived to a castle that had been covered in dust on the inside. Eren got to experience the Corporal almost have a melt down at the mess and the short man had moved quickly to start cleaning. Soon he ended dragging everyone into the fiasco except for Hanji who seemed to disappear before anything happened.

Eren sighed and clenched the white rag in his hand as the Corporal opened one of the windows. It was strange to see Levi act in such away, but not everyone was perfect. "This is ridiculous." Eren soon regretted the words for he soon found himself getting yanked down by his shirt, coming face to face with his leader.

He didn't know how to react to the sudden closeness and blushed. Levi's grey eyes looked intently into Eren's green ones. "Listen hear you little shit, if it is so ridiculous why don't you go live outside hmm? That's were filthy animals live, and that can easily become your life style. Now, I think I made myself clear. Don't you?"

"Y-yes sir!"

Levi smirked slightly, "Good."

He released the teen and Eren quickly went to doing the chore he was given. Levi gave an amused smile before quickly dropping it and heading out of the room before bumping into Erwin. "I saw that smile, Corporal. Be nice to the poor boy, will ya?"

Levi glared up at the blond and Erwin just returned a smile before allowing the shorter male to pass. Erwin's gaze then flicked to Eren, curious to what Levi found so amusing about the punk. Of course he could shift into a titan, but that was beside the point.

There had to be something more.

* * *

A/N: I hope you enjoyed everything! I will try to keep this story going, for I do have some ideas for it :3


	2. Chapter 2

Eren groaned as he pushed himself up from the floor. His back gave an audible crack as he stretched upwards to try and get rid of any tension. He then flexed his neck to and fro, more sounds of popping left his body. Cleaning had caused his body to become extremely tense, especially with Levi breathing down his back every so often. The man couldn't seem to leave him alone for two whole seconds, always checking to see if Eren had cleaned properly.

Of course there were a few times that he had to go back and re-do some areas, but the Corporal wasn't as harsh as Eren thought he would be. Levi had been stern with him, but nothing to painful occurred.

The brunet sighed, he was almost done. "I see the Corporal didn't hold back on you," Eren jumped at the voice and turned to see a grinning face, "Of course I learned how to avoid Levi's cleaning escapades. Maybe I'll teach you someday, eh?"

Hanji gave a short laugh before crossing her arms across her chest, watching Eren with amused eyes. "I didn't expect him to be like this to be honest." The squad leader raised a brow at the statement,

"Really? The Corporal has always been like this. 'Humanities Strongest Warrior', a title that can be easily switched with 'Humanities Greatest Maid'." Zoe chuckled at her own joke, "Y'know, the Corporal wasn't always so strict with rules and such. There's a rumor that he used to be an underground criminal."

Eren's eyes went wide, that would be the last thing he expected from the great Corporal Levi. A criminal? That seemed out of character, but Eren didn't really know Levi that well so he didn't rule out the possibility. Zoe pushed her glasses with her index finger, giving a small wink to Eren.

"Maybe I can elaborate on it later, but I must depart! The great maid should be returning to check on you soon!"

On that she quickly rushed out the door leaving a awestruck Eren, "Oi, Yeager."

Levi's head popped into the doorway, "Yes Corporal?"

The brunet shifted, curious to how Hanji knew that the Corporal was coming and what the man wanted. "You call that last room clean? Go back and do it again, and try not to make it look like a barn animal trampled through it."

"Yes sir," Eren groaned, he just wanted to be done for the day. The groan earned him a stern look from Levi but no comments were made as he entered the room to inspect Eren's cleaning job. Eren then took the chance to bolt and go to the previous room. Hopefully the Corporal wouldn't come find him right away if he appeared to take cleaning just a tad more serious.

* * *

Dinner could be described with only one word: awkward.

None of Eren's friends had been accepted into the Scouting Legion yet, but he was sure the day was coming up when applications were accepted. He couldn't wait to see Mikasa and Armin again. Hell even Jean would be nice, as long as he had someone to sit with.

The teen was really alone, but he was sitting with people he didn't know. There was an empty seat in front of him, and he could hear the hushed whispers around the table. The topic, well it was him. They saw him as dangerous, a bomb that could explode at any given moment. It was frustrating, and very few people actually didn't fear him.

Eren glanced over to the table were the Corporal was sitting. It was strange, he saw Commander Erwin patting the shorter man on the head and laughing. Levi remained still but anger was visible on his features. A blonde girl was trying to get Levi's attention but would only receive a glance before she completely stopped talking and blushed. The only one that wasn't visible at the table was Hanji.

He had only seen the strange woman twice during the day. Eren was trying to figure out how she was able to avoid Levi's cleaning war path. No one had been safe from that. The Corporal was like a bloodhound and had been able to find every member of the squad except for Hanji.

"Yo, Eren!"

Once again a voice startled him and he turned to see Hanji plan herself in the empty chair across from him. "It looked like you could use some company! You've been awfully quite today," Zoe was quick to point out, "Well excluding the various groans and complaints that I heard from you during the cleaning process."

"Wait you heard me? Where were you?"

The woman smirked, "Woman's secret."

Eren shifted and gave her a frown, "You are strange, Lieutenant."

Hanji put on a hurt expression, "Oh you wound me, Yeager." She teased before shifting to her usual smiling self, "Though yes, I guess I am strange. I have a fascination for titans that most don't have. You've even made your way up on my list of fascinations. Which is why I can't wait to experiment on you!"

Eren's features dropped to one of slight fear, this woman was definitely insane. Though Hanji was one of the few squad members that didn't seem to be bothered by his presence and he appreciated that greatly.

After their short conversation, the two ate in a comfortable silence. Occasionally Zoe would perk up and start rambling about titans and Eren would only nod in acknowledgement, never really focusing on her fully.

He found that his gave kept flicking across the dim room to see Levi either speaking with the Commander or giving an irritated look to someone. The Corporal's eyes eventually found their way to Eren's and the teen froze. He didn't know if he should look away or not, and his thoughts were jumbled. The other's eye brow twitched slightly and his gaze didn't waver. This caused Eren to blush in embarrassment before tearing his gaze away.

He tried to focus on what the deranged squad leader was chattering about but it became more difficult as the Scouting Legion members began to depart to either relax with friends or go to sleep. Sleep, well that reminded Eren that he had no idea where he was suppose to sleep, and the teen sighed in frustration.

If he had to sleep in another cell, he was going to have a break down.

* * *

A/N: Gah you are all wonderful! :) You guys got me to write the next chapter!

Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

"I want to know everything you know about the titans."

"Really?!" Hanji squealed with delight, "Well were to start…oh I know! The beginning is always a wonderful start!"

Hanji broke into her tale of titans again. Eren had sat patiently through her tale of Sawney and Bean, of course he had been the only one to actually sit and listen, and everyone else seemed to scatter when he showed slightly interest in what the squad leader had been saying. He even saw the Corporal push away from his table and leave the room in post haste.

Honestly Eren didn't see the harm in learning more about the titans, and enemy that he was determined to defeat. It was also entertaining to see Hanji light up at specific points of her findings, and the elaborate a little more before pushing ahead to the next topic. So far everything that had come out of the lieutenant's mouth was old news. He had learned about the facts she was listing while still in training. He hoped that she would go into more detail than what he already knew.

Soon her speech seemed to drag on and on; Eren started to feel sudden exhaustion and started to realize his mistake. He already knew everything she was stating. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

"So you already knew all that?"

"Yeah," Eren managed to mumble, bags formed under his eyes from no sleep. "We learned all that when we were in training."

Hanji seemed a bit shocked and disappointed, "Well maybe I should go back and retell it with my opini-"

"Lieutenant Hanji!" A soldier busted in, causing Eren to jump slightly and Hanji express slight surprise.

"What is it?"

"It's the titans we captured…they're dead."

Zoe didn't react until the sentence fully sunk in. Her brows furrowed and soon tears were starting to build up, "No! No, no, no that's not possible!"

The woman jumped from her spot and ran out the door, Eren was quick to follow.

Jumping on the horse's back, Levi's squad followed Zoe to where she kept her experiments. The ride felt like it was longer than necessary, and soon Eren found that his cloak hood wasn't enough to keep his worried expression. Levi had noticed it and merely frowned, probably taken slightly aback that the teen actually seemed to care about the death of two pathetic titans.

The group rode in silence, except from the occasional heavy breath from Hanji as she tried to hold her emotions together. Soon they arrived to where they were keeping Bean and Sawney, only smoking skeletons remaining in their place. Everyone jumped off their steeds and rushed to the scene. It was already surrounded by multiple soldiers. Hanji shoved through the crowd, screaming at the top of her lungs with tears pouring down her face.

Eren stood a few feet away, Levi standing next to him in silence. Finally a sigh escaped the shorter man's lips, "Come. We aren't needed here; the Military Police will handle this."

Eren nodded and was ready to turn and follow his leader before he felt a pressure on his shoulder, "Who do you think is the enemy?"

Eren turned his head slightly to see the Commander leaning down to talk to him, well maybe him, for the Erwin's attention was focused elsewhere, "Excuse me sir?"

Erwin removed his hand and stood up straight, "Ah, ignore me." With a pat to Eren's head and turned his back to the teen. Eren watched with confusion as he watched Levi turn to see if Erwin was following him, and flicked his gaze to Eren quickly before continuing on his way.

'_Who is the enemy? What kind of question is that?' _Eren's thoughts became jumbled as he took heavy steps towards his higher ups. He assumed they were returning to the castle. For he was sure new recruits wouldn't be coming in for another day or so. Preparations were needed, and it didn't help that Hanji had lost valuable subjects.

* * *

Eren didn't know what to do without Hanji popping around to surprise him. So he wondered about the castle on his own, lost in his own thoughts. He had heard that the ones who had killed the titans had escaped on their 3D maneuver gear, and Eren was now beginning to question his own safety in the Legion. There were so many questions unanswered.

"Um, excuse me?"

A small voice made Eren come to a halt, and he turned to see Petra holding a broom. The teen blinked, he hadn't seen her earlier, "Do you need something, Petra?"

The blonde shifted her weight so she was leaning on her broom, "No, not me. The Corporal does, he wants to talk to you."

Eren blinked, "About what?"

The smaller girl shrugged, "I dunno, just go and talk to him before he decides to hunt you down. Of course I had to get stuck with cleaning duty because you were too busy wandering about, and I happen to be the first one Corporal sees." The girl sighed, starting to rant to the teen about her dilemma. "He even said, 'Petra, since I can't seem to find Eren, you go and find him. Don't forget to take this broom with you an-' Hey don't just leave when I'm talking!"

Eren had started to take off when she went further into her story; honestly he liked Petra, though she tended to talk about Levi a bit much. Petra was very kind to him, and never really treated him like a monster. She was the other person Eren really trusted that was in the Squad.

The castle wasn't too confusing. Of course there were some turns Eren missed and had to back track. He even ran into Erd and Auruo, which he hastily apologized as Auruo started his tough guy routine. Eren managed to escape the embarrassment that Auruo would cause and eventually made his way to Levi's office.

He knocked on the door, waiting for a response. The teen pulled at the straps that covered his body as he awkwardly stood in silence. The silence didn't last long when shouting could be heard with a calm voice following it, and soon the door opened to reveal the Commander slightly upset and pushed past Eren hastily. Eren stood in confusion and jumped when he turned to see Levi standing a small distance from him.

"What took you so damn long, you shitty brat?"

Eren tried to find his words and it earned him a glare from Levi, "Are you just going to stand there looking like an idiot?"

Eren shook his head and Levi sighed before motioning him to come into the room that an angry Commander just left. The teen was shocked to see paper scattered all over the room, and a map with tactics crudely drawn out on the dark desk in front of the window. "I actually intended to have a conversation with you, Yeager, but there has been a change in events."

Levi spoke calmly and Eren took note of the visible stress on the shorter man. The Corporal's cravat was carefully placed to the side on the desk, and his gear was removed from his torso. His sleeves were pushed slightly and it was obvious that the higher up was exhausted. "I need you to organize this disaster you see here. I have work to do, and don't think you can slack off because I will be in here with you."

The Corporal growled as he sat in the chair behind the desk. Eren nodded quickly and watched as the shorter man shifted the papers that weren't making a mess on the floor and started to write quickly on different sheets, grey eyes flicked up to meet shocked green ones, "Are you just going to stand there you brat? Get to work."

"Y-yes sir!"

This was going to be another long day.

* * *

A/N: You guys are wonderful 3 here is another update. I'm just going to start going with flow from here :3

Oh, and thank you anon for correcting me on Eren's eye colour, I had to go back and check. So I went back to edit in the first chapter that his eyes are green ^^.


	4. Chapter 4

The silence was occasionally broken by the scratching of a pen or the shuffling of a stray paper. Eren shifted on his knees as he stretched to reach one of the many papers thrown astray in the room. It was strange seeing the Corporal's office is such disarray, stranger to see Commander Erwin leaving in a rage. He was curious to what happened, but didn't dare pry. It wasn't his business, and he didn't want Levi breathing down his back about not minding his own business.

The teen glanced at the paper in his hand, but couldn't make out what was written. The writing was scratchy and seemed to be a different language. Eren shrugged it off and stacked it neatly in the small pile that he had started to work on. He picked up another but didn't bother to scan it when he heard the Corporal sigh through his nose and mutter something under his breath. The shifter flicked his eyes over to see the shorter man's brows furrow together and eyes close momentarily in frustration.

Another word was muttered and Eren had his full attention on the Corporal, he didn't understand the word. Levi's grey eyes flew open and glared directly into Eren's green ones. A sudden heat flashed over Eren's face as he quickly returned to his work. Levi seem to let it slide, "French."

The brunet straightened his back as he returned his attention back to Levi, "Sorry, sir?"

The raven-haired male sighed with annoyance, "French. Half the papers you have so hardly focused on are written in French," Eren gave him a curious gaze, "My native language, Yeager. I'm sure you have your own native language so don't act like you don't know what I am talking about."

Levi returned back to the paper that was on his desk, his pen moving swiftly pausing every so often as he glanced over his work. "Sir, why are these written in French? I don't write things in German."

The Corporal groaned before putting the pen back down, "So prying eyes don't go over what I have written." Though Levi didn't seem to mind being distracted on his paperwork, "You speak German? How very interesting, though it would fit such an angry brat such as you I suppose. It's a rough language correct?"

Eren didn't know if he should take that as an insult or compliment but he nodded his head, "Yes, sir."

The teen resumed cleaning the papers that were scattered on the floor, and he could still feel Levi's intense gaze on his side. He dared to peek to see that his feeling was correct, Levi had lost any interest in what was on his desk and he now focused on the boy on his office floor. The Corporal shifted to have is elbow resting on the dark wooded desk and crossed his fingers so he could rest his chin upon them.

"Speak it for me. I haven't heard the language in a long time," The older man sighed.

Eren stiffened. It had to be obvious that the Corporal was bored of his paper work and was looking for any outlet of some entertainment. It was strange seeing such a stoic man start to show some sort of interest in a boy such as himself. Well it was more of his native language. Though Eren hadn't spoken the language in a long time either, for he only spoke it when he had been at home or with fellow fluent speakers. It was easier to just speak in English since it had become more dominant in the land.

Eren gulped, shifted as he stacked more papers. He had cleared a good portion and was now moving to the rest. "Brat, didn't you hear me?" Levi was irritated, that was very clear in his tone.

"_Ja hörte ich Sie, Sir._" It wasn't the roughest of German but it seemed to satisfy Levi, who raised a brow slightly at the words.

"What did you say, Yeager? It was implied I don't speak the language." The Corporal shifted in his seat, picking up the pen and tapping it on the desk.

"I said, 'yes I heard you, sir.'" Eren mumbled and shuffled slightly as he pushed of the floor, finished with the first half of the office, "I wouldn't say anything to disrespect the Corporal, even in my own tongue."

The teen lifted on the small stacks that he made and Levi motioned to where they went. "I see. Now hurry up and finish. I don't want to spend all afternoon with you." The scratching sound of pen on paper resumed.

Eren felt a wave of disappointment; he thought the Corporal wouldn't mind his presence. Though he did pick up his pace, but curiosity had slowed him down eventually. He wanted to hear the language Levi said was French. He rarely heard other languages, for most had abandoned whatever language they lived with in order to communicate properly. It seemed Levi was one of the few that kept it close and used it to conceal any secrets or private matters.

"Sir?"

A sigh came through the Corporal's lips; he had been doing that a lot today, "What now? Can't you see I have a lot to do?"

Eren frowned; the Corporal didn't seem to mind being distracted for a small bit earlier. Why did it bother him now? "May I hear you speak French? I only think it fair since I spoke German for you, sir."

The older man gave a slight smirk, "Someday you may, but not today. I don't like repeating myself, Yeager. Now get finished with picking up these papers!"

* * *

Levi's words stayed with him through dinner. He would glance over to the shorter man, always listening to see if any French would be spoken, though it would be nearly impossible to hear. Despite the events earlier today the common dinner area was bustling about. Eren felt alone despite the busy area, for Hanji had stayed out, trying to look for any clues that would lead to finding the culprit.

Actually some of Levi's squad had left to tend to the matters, while the rest stayed behind. Multiple branches of soldiers had been coming in and out of the castle area which Eren found strange. He thought this castle was strictly for the Recon Corps but he guessed that today was exception.

The teen picked at his food, barely making a dent before tossing it. He trudged towards the basement where he was told he would be staying. He found it to be a cell, and rage flew through his body. It was more comfortable than his other of course, there was a desk and a bed with the proper necessities but it still didn't restrain the fact that he was not going to be trusted anytime soon.

An angry groan escaped his lips as his tugged at his straps and tossed them carelessly into a heap next to discarded boots. He then tore his shirt over his head, tossing that aside as well before replacing it with his sleeping shirt. The same followed for his pants, his thumb brushed at fading bruises from his straps as he pulled up more comfortable bottoms.

The teen slumped onto his bed his head in hands, frustration clear on his features. He wasn't too happy with his quarters. Eren tried to calm himself with thoughts such as not being chained down, and that it was an actually room that just had cell bars. It seemed to work slightly as he felt sleep come over him, the anger leaving his features and Eren appeared to be calm in his sleep.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for taking a bit longer with this chapter! I wasn't sure how I wanted to word it and such. I know this may not be jumping straight to anything but I kinda want to take things just a bit slow, actually try to get a relationship fleshed out. Though I am still thinking of ways to get it to my liking!

Levi being French and Eren being German always appealed to me. So I decided to give them their native languages. Its also one of my headcanons!

I didn't know what to make the common spoken language besides English since reasons.

All of you are great! I'm glad a good amount of you are enjoying this.

Sorry if the German is incorrect, I don't actually speak the language .


	5. Chapter 5

Eren ran a hand through his messy hair, and attempted to remember where he was. After blinking the sleep he jumped at the sight of an angry short man glaring daggers at him. That's right; he was in the basement in a cell. It seemed the Corporal had managed to wake him up.

The teen's features flushed as Levi cleared his throat, cocking his head slightly with his eyebrows furrowing downward to show irritation. Eren didn't know what time it was, but apparently it wasn't early enough for the older man. "You lazy brat, it's the middle of the afternoon. I expect you to work your ass off cleaning up the garden."

Eren inwardly flinched and pushed to blankets off his legs in an attempt to get out of bed. He popped his neck before standing, earning a disgusted look from his superior. The brunet gave a bashful smile and stared at the ground. He was waiting for the Corporal to leave so he could get dressed. Levi didn't seem to be taking the hint. "Uh, sir, could you please allow me some privacy to change?"

Levi scoffed, "I guess. But," He started making his way out, "if I find you asleep in that disgusting bed of yours I will have to punish you more than just cleaning out the garden."

With that the shorter man disappeared from the corridors and Eren hastily got changed and ran to the bathroom that was to brush his teeth before charging through the doors to that lead to the garden. He wasn't in the mood to get kicked in the face again. Even though his wounds had healed up nicely, it still hurt like hell to get hit. Especially if it came from Levi, even though the man is short he has a lot of power.

Eren turned the corner near the castle and groaned. The garden was more of a cemetery. There were weeds everywhere with a few dead plants and rotted wood lying about. The teen was surprised this wasn't already taken care of. He jumped when Levi appeared at his side, and that was the second time the Lance Corporal had scared him. Eren rolled his eyes slightly, he hadn't even been up for an hour and the Corporal was already breathing down his neck. "Better get to work, Yeager. "

The teen flicked his gaze over to the older man, "Am I really doing this by myself, Corporal? I won't get it done before night fall! This is too much for one person." Eren flinched when Levi looked up at him, "Uh, sir."

Eren quickly added before falling silent. He wanted to train, not clean up some pathetic garden. "Fine."

The brunet looked at Levi with confusion. The shorter man crossed his arms while his facial features remained blank. "I'll send Aururo to work with you, since you are so determined to not work by yourself."

"No Corporal! T-that's fine I can hand-"

"I've made up my mind, besides you wouldn't manage to get this done by night fall if he doesn't help you."

Levi met Eren's gaze with a slight smirk. The teen's mouth had dropped open when he had his own words thrown back at him. Of all the people on the squad, he wasn't too fond of Aururo. The man had tried to intimidate him on his first day with Levi's squad. Who knows how he will act if he gets stuck working with the man. "Yes sir."

The shorter man turned on his heel and made his way back to the castle in search for the other squad mate. Eren was left to mope and start working on the mostly dead garden. The day wasn't particularly hot thankfully, but it was slightly humid. Eren had started sweating only a few minutes of pulling up weeds. He stood up to stretch his back, and it was followed by an audible pop. He had tossed his jacket aside and had rolled up the sleeves of this shirt. Dirt had already smeared on his face and hands, and it smeared more as wiped his brow with his arm. His eyes scanned the area to see Levi coming once more with an upset Aururo in tow.

The Corporal gave a noticeable flinch when his eyes landed on Eren, and stopped a few feet away from the already dirty teen. "Incredible, you've already managed to become a disgusting mess. Have fun working together, I'm sure you'll manage to get this done quickly."

With one last glare at the dirty teen Levi left for the final time. Aururo sighed and started to work alongside Eren.

For the next thirty minutes the two worked in complete silence. Eren was content with that for they moved more quickly, but of course the older member had to break the comfortable silence. "So, Eren you just had to open your mouth to the Corporal," Aururo muttered, "I bet if I talked back I would get a mouthful of dirt."

Eren had to strain his ears to hear the last part, and it seemed like the squad member was jealous of the treatment Levi was giving him. Honestly it had only been a few days and he hadn't really noticed any special treatment. Well, Levi had seemed interested in hearing him speak in his native tongue, but that was beside the point.

Actually the Corporal did seem to actually try and talk to him, but it didn't usually work in the shorter man's favour. He always came off as intimidating it was almost as if the Corporal didn't really know how to communicate without being threatening. Eren shrugged, "Sorry I got you dragged into this."

"You better be sorry, I could be relaxing if you didn't open your damn mo-"

Aururo let out a yelp as he bit his tongue. Eren didn't let that distract him and he just continued working on the garden. His thoughts drifted as the preferred silence returned. Aururo would mutter something occasionally but Eren did his best to ignore him. The brunet didn't really find the man intimidating, but found him to be a nuisance. Though he did have respect for the squad member because of his impressive kill number for fighting the Titans.

Eren's thoughts drifted to Hanji, wandering how the woman was holding up with the loss of her Titan experiments. He then shivered thinking about when he will have to work with the crazy Hanji Zoe. He was not looking forward to that but he knew it was necessary, and Eren hoped he could get better control of his Titan form in the process.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for taking longer with chapters!

Next chapter there will probably be a time skip to where Mikasa and Armin and all them are back together.

Thank you guys for all the faves and follows! I hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	6. Chapter 6

Mikasa threw her arms around Eren, and Eren returned the action. She was squeezing him tightly and he had to tap her on the back a few times to signal that he was starting to lose his ability to breathe. Mikasa released him with a soft smile on her face. She was so happy to see Eren, for it had been a couple weeks. She and Armin had to go through some very important training before being able to join up with the full recon squad.

Speaking of Armin, Eren was looking around for the smaller boy only to spot him a few feet away with his nose in a book. The brunet smirked at the sight before walking over and pushing the book down from the blond's face. Armin blinked in confusion and he then registered that Eren was standing in front of him with a big grin plastered on his face. Armin sighed with smile and hugged his childhood friend. The trio was finally back together after a few weeks of being apart.

Eren, Mikasa, and Armin then walked side by side, returning to the castle from the stables. The sound of braying horses was soon in the distance and replaced by the sound of boots hitting stone. The sun was high in the clear blue sky, signifying noon. The three were heading for lunch, and Eren was curious to see who else joined the Recon Corps. He was positive Jean wasn't there, for he remembered the teen wanting to go to the Military Police. "So, Eren, that short guy didn't give you to hard of a time did he?"

"You mean Corporal Levi? No, I suppose not."

Mikasa scowled, "He went a little far at the Court."

Eren gave a look of panic as he read Mikasa's intents, "No! It was all needed to keep me alive. He apologized and everything! He's actually okay to hang around, despite his weird obsession with cleaning."

Armin gave a look of interest at the statement and Mikasa simply tugged her scarf over her mouth. She was still clearly upset about what Levi had done to Eren. "Mikasa, please. I'm fine now, that's all that matters. Plus I wasn't injured too long."

His words fell on deaf ears. Mikasa most likely wasn't too happy with being in different squads either. Eren had told her that he was going to be staying in Levi's squad even if she wasn't going to be there. It wasn't like he had a choice either, but she didn't want to leave him unprotected. Eren had to try and convince her that he could manage on his own.

Armin finally piped up after a few seconds of silence, "So the Corporal has an obsession with cleaning. What's that like?"

Eren released a sigh of irritation and Armin giggled, "It's so annoying. He is so damn picky about how something is done, and you should've seen him when we first got here. The Corporal pretty much had a mild melt down. Just recently I had to scrub the floors – twice mind you – I feel bad for the new people here. The slightest mess and I'm sure the Corporal will have them in tears."

Armin released a short laugh, "Sounds like a difficult person to live with."

Eren shrugged, "Like I said, it's annoying. But you do learn to get used to it. Just don't piss him off."

"Piss who off, Yeager?"

All three jumped at the voice that came from behind. Eren tensed up knowing that it was his superior officer and Mikasa seemed to have anger dance in her eyes at the sight of the shorter man. Armin gulped and clutched the book he had been carrying. Levi stood with his arms crossed and a brow arched. The man could be deadly quite when he wanted to be, so sneaking up on the teens had been no problem.

"You certainly weren't talking about me where you?"

Eren opened his mouth to answer but only a slight whine came out and he clasped his mouth shut. A smirk played on the Corporal's lips. He was more amused than angry really, especially at the girl Eren was around. Levi shifted his weight to one foot before a sigh escaped his lips, "You three better get a move on before they run out of food. I don't want to hear you bitch and moan about your stupid brat stomachs starving."

Levi's brows lowered as he gave a frown that he usually had on his features aside from his usual blank expression. Eren nodded quickly and began to drag Mikasa to the dining hall, Armin was following closely behind.

When they reached the room, Eren was shocked to see most of his old group gathered at a table. Sasha and Connie were laughing at each other while Jean stared at them with a slightly irritated look. Eren's mouth dropped at the sight of them, and they were soon joined by Christa and Ymir. Eren joined them with Mikasa and Armin after they got their lunch. "I'm surprised to see you guys all here. What made you decide to change your mind Jean? What happened to just thinking for yourself?"

Jean glared at him, "Marco is dead. I am doing this for him."

Suddenly Eren felt guilt wash through him, "Jean, don't be so harsh. He didn't know."

Armin's words caused Jean to get a pained look before releasing a quick apology. That wasn't something Eren had expected. It seemed unnatural to hear that from Jean, but he guessed that Marco did really have an impact on his life. "I'm so sorry for your loss, Jean."

The teen looked at the brunet, "Don't be Yeager. Just prove to me that I can put my trust in you."

No more words were exchanged between the two after that. Eren spent the rest of the time catching up with the rest of the group, all while trying to avoid any more touchy subjects for the day. Armin explained to him the tactics he had been studying while Mikasa mostly kept to herself, but enjoyed listening to Eren speak about his experience with Levi's Squad and Hanji's experiments.

The experiments were interesting ones for sure. It mostly involved just him shifting without losing control for now. Eren would be put down a well or tethered to the ground so nothing horrible would happen. So far Eren had started to show some success in the shifting, and Hanji had started to get anxious in testing him even more. Of course Eren really wasn't looking forward to when the pocking and prodding would begin.

Lunch seemed to fly by. His friends had to leave to go attend some meeting for the newcomers, something about tactics for the upcoming mission, and Eren was left sitting in the dining area. Apparently Eren wasn't alone and soon found his Corporal sitting across from him. Eren stiffened at the sudden appearance before he relaxed slightly.

The silence was starting to become unbearable and Eren could feel those steely eyes boring into him. Every time he looked up to meet the gaze he could see that Levi was searching for words to say before covering that up with a glare. "I'm assuming that the black haired girl is your girlfriend or something?"

Eren blushed, that was a sudden question. The Corporal was definitely not very good at talking with people. "No, sir. She is my adopted sister, but she tends to act more like a mom than anything."

Levi simply nodded as he took in the information, "What's her name?"

"Mikasa."

Eren gave a curious glance at the shorter man, "Why the sudden interest sir?"

Levi glared slightly at the question, shifting to where his chin rested on his hands, he gave a quick reply, "I wouldn't mind knowing the name of the girl who wouldn't stop giving my stink eye half way across the room."

Eren gave a slight smile and tried not to laugh. Mikasa had seemed to offend the Corporal in some way even if Levi didn't want to admit it, "Don't you have work to do brat?"

The brunet tensed up, his mind racking through what he was actually supposed to be doing right now. He really couldn't think of anything before remember he could be doing some training. Levi raised a brow, "Well?"

Even with the few weeks he had been around the shorter male, Eren had noticed Levi's attempt to try and get to know him. Of course if any progress was made Levi would just give up and send Eren to go do something or give him a punishment for no good reason. "I guess I could go train, sir."

"Oh really? What a fucking brilliant idea, Eren."

The sarcasm dripped from Levi's words as Eren blushed from embarrassment before pushing up from the table quickly. The motion actually startled Levi for a second before he recollected himself, and Eren gave him a quick salute before disappearing from the room to go work on his maneuvering skills.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the wait guys! School just started so I was a bit busy, so yeah.

I'm glad you guys are enjoying this so far!


	7. Chapter 7

Levi shifted his position to cross his ankles as he watched Eren push away from the table to go resume so training. The Lance Corporal watched with amusement dancing in his stormy eyes. He admitted to himself after a few days in the brat's presence that he found Eren a source of entertainment. From the moment he saw that determination in the little shit's eyes Levi decided that he would watch Eren with a close eye.

The earlier speaking Eren did to his friends was quite obvious that it was about Levi. The Corporal found it interesting how the black haired girl reacted in his presence. There was a large amount of hate that had been directed toward the Lance Corporal, and Levi figured it was all because of the Court Trial. Apparently some were not as understanding and forgiving as Eren could be. Not that the brat was super understanding, but he seemed to understand the point of the whole beating situation.

Levi sat at the table for a few more moments, contemplating if he wanted to go back to paperwork or go do something worth his time. The raven haired man smirked, an idea flashing through his mind and he pushed himself up from the table and went the same direction as Eren.

While he was walking along the sun lit corridors he made mental notes of areas that would need to be dusted, and would frown every once in a while at a small mess that had accumulated on the floors. Members of the Legion would nod in greeting, and Levi would simply nod back. Occasionally they would speak with him, questions were the biggest parts of any conversation that he had. Though he would usually brush them off or give them a short answer that would barely give the questioner a good response.

The shorter man finally stepped out in the warm air to find multiple members of the Legion training. The training grounds usually held a few people, but it was rare to find the Corporal there. Levi usually kept to himself when training, for he found others to be surprisingly distracting or a nuisance. All eyes focused on him until he gave a glare, and they resumed what they were doing. Grey eyes scanned the grounds until they landed on the being he was searching for.

Eren was working on his hand-to-hand combat with a practice dummy. Levi raised a brow; usually you practiced with another person. The Corporal made his way to the brunet and noticed how Eren how carelessly strewn his jacket to the ground. Levi made a noise of disapproval and that caused Eren to jump from shock. The teen turned around and quickly straightened himself, "Corporal! What are you doing here?"

Levi frowned and Eren grimaced slightly, "Apparently your poor jacket called out to me, is really that hard to fold your jacket neatly?"

Eren sighed slightly and quickly picked up the discarded article of clothing and folded it, neatly placing it to the side. "Why aren't you practicing with anyone, Eren?"

The teen's features went soft, and had a sad look in his eyes, "They're scared of me sir. I would think it was obvious."

Levi clucked his tongue in annoyance. Eren turned to face the Corporal, determination visible on his features. It was obvious that it wouldn't stop Eren from trying to stay in good condition. The shorter male started to tug his jacket off, "Well, it's better to train with someone else, you shitty brat." After neatly folding the jacket and placing it next to Eren's, he then pulled off his cravat, "I have nothing better to do, and I would eventually end up training you. So why not start now."

Eren's mouth dropped in awe, "A-are you serious, sir? You don't have to!"

"Have to? Of course I do! You can't just rely on your titan powers now can you? Plus you seem to have a sloppy fighting style," Levi shifted, getting in a defensive position. "Now, show me what you can do."

Eren grinned and got into a similar position, "I'm warning you sir, I was the top of my class in hand-to-hand. Well next to Mikasa."

Levi only glared, the brat sure was cocky. The Lance Corporal recalled he had floored the brat a few times for talking back. Maybe Eren had allowed it to happen, but Levi was positive that that wasn't the case. Everyone around them started to stop what they were doing and started to gather around the two. Levi was slightly annoyed by the attention but he didn't remove his attention from Eren.

The teen was eyeing the situation, before lunging forward but before he could do anything Levi had already floored him. Eren gasped in shock, "You left your right side open, Yeager."

Eren grunted as he grabbed his right side were Levi had elbowed him. A murmur went through the crowd as Eren pushed up from the ground and returned to his earlier stance. The shorter man could see Eren think as he glared intently at the Corporal. Levi only smirked in return, taking another defensive position.

The brunt lunged again, but went to use Levi's defenses against himself. Eren punched at Levi's hands causing the fist closest to his head to smack against his lip and Eren then swiped at his feet. Levi found himself on his back, and quickly got up to block Eren's next attack. The Corporal grunted from the impact, but Eren didn't show any signs of letting up.

The teen pulled his fist back to aim for Levi's stomach but the older man simply blocked once more before getting out of Eren's range and flipping him back to the ground. Levi stepped back and touched his lip to find blood on his finger tip. "Interesting move, brat. You need to learn control though."

Eren coughed and groaned as he got up once more. Levi had to admit, he was impressed by the brat. It seemed Eren could actually hold his own if he tried. Then an idea came to his mind, and he went for Eren as he was getting up.

The teen was surprised but blocked the punch that was aimed for his face, and suddenly something flickered through the brunet's eyes. Levi's eyes went wide when he suddenly found himself on his back. Eren was smirking as the Corporal pushed himself up into sitting position. "Where'd you learn that?"

Eren hesitated, "A friend, her name is Annie. It wasn't perfect but she used it on me before. I've managed to copy it."

Eren realized Levi was still sitting on the ground and offered a hand to help pull him up. Levi grimaced at the dirty hand but grabbed it anyway, and allowed himself to be pulled up. The Corporal frowned, "You still need to work on technique," His eyes flickered to the crowd that had gathered, "What are you all looking at? If you have time to sit around and be lazy asses, then you can go clean the castle."

The crowd quickly dispersed, and most resumed what they were doing earlier. "Ah, sir, your lip."

Levi's hand went back to his mouth, the bleeding had stopped but there was a small cut from where his teeth hit. The Corporal pulled out a handkerchief to clean up his mouth while frowning at how sweaty and gross Eren had gotten. "It's nothing brat."

Apparently Eren was a quick learner when it came to fighting hand-to-hand. It was impressive to Levi, but he didn't outright say it. Eren was a sweaty mess when they finished, he ended up removing his shirt and chest straps at some point. The brat wasn't too built, but it was noticeable that he did have muscle. Levi didn't focus on that too much but more on the dirt that had managed to accumulate on the teen's face.

"You are disgusting."

Eren looked down, disappointment visible in his green-blue eyes. Levi sighed, "You did well today." Those eyes flicked to meet his own and the shorter man felt his heart skip a beat, "Go get cleaned up and get some rest before dinner."

The last words were rushed out slightly and Levi quickly grabbed his cravat and jacket. He tried to keep a normal pace but couldn't help but pick up speed after a while. He was sure Eren was staring at him in confusion, but he didn't look back to confirm anything.

The Lance Corporal could feel heat rush to his face when he entered the old castle. Thankfully the colours from the setting sun had managed to cover most of it darkened the hallways slightly, preventing any fellow soldiers to notice.

Levi slammed his office door shut and released a sigh. What was wrong with him? It was all because of those stupid eyes. Maybe he shouldn't be spending so much time around Eren; he was starting to make him feel weird. Levi pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, only to have those hopeful green-blue eyes flash in his mind. The heat returned to his face and his eyes shot open. He scowled and went to his neat desk to work on that pile of paper work that seemed to be turning into a mountain.

There was knock at his door the moment he sat down, "What!?"

Hanji's head popped in and she had a stupid grin plastered on her face. "Irritated today Levi? Oh my, are you blushing? It wouldn't happen to be because of a certain someone that can turn into a titan, is it?"

Levi scowled at her and grabbed the first piece of paper off the pile, "What do you want, Hanji?"

She giggled, "Don't ignore me Levi; I saw how you rushed back into the castle. Poor Eren looked really confused."

"If you don't have anything to tell me that's useful, then get out. I have work to do."

Hanji ignored him and went to lean over his desk, "C'mon Levi, you can tell me if you have a crush on someone. I won't tell," She giggled once more, "Promise."

Levi slammed his pen down and leaned back in his chair. He went to tug at his cravat out of irritation but he forgot he already had it off and crossed his arms instead. "I don't have a 'crush' or whatever on anyone you shit faced scientist. Now leave me alone, go take a shit or something."

Hanji stood up straight, her features becoming more serious, "Whatever. Anyway that isn't the main reason I came here. I actually came to tell you that the paperwork on your desk needs to be done by the end of the week. Commander Irvin is getting antsy." Levi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, Hanji already started to make her way out of the room, "Oh, and Levi I will find out if you have a crush on my precious titan-shifter."

Hanji closed the door with a grin on her lips. Levi growled at the words, precious titan-shifter? That was the last thing he would use to describe the brat, and he was certain he didn't have any feelings for the said brat.

Levi's thoughts began to wander as he worked through the paper work, trying to figure out why Eren's eyes were enough to make his heart pound. The Lance Corporal even tried to determine why he even tried to communicate with the brat, or why he tried to get to know him. Maybe Hanji was right…no! Levi refused to believe that.

Dinner was awkward. The Corporal sat in silence and he could feel someone's eyes on him at all times. He glanced up to see Eren staring at him with confusion, but the brat looked away when he saw that he was caught by Levi. Levi sneered and went back to his office early, refusing to put up with anymore of Eren's antics.

* * *

A/N: Have Levi's view on things for this chapter. Oh and what's this? Feelings are becoming a possibility now...poor Levi doesn't even know what to do. Sorry if the training scene seems a little off, honestly I know barely anything about fighting (dunno if this is a good thing or bad thing hehe)! I may go back and fix it later if I can scrounge up some good information.


	8. Chapter 8

Eren was…well he was extremely confused. He couldn't comprehend what was going on with Levi, especially when the Corporal left dinner quite early. The teen frowned, his mind raking through everything that he has done between then and now. Was the Corporal mad about the cut on his lip? No that couldn't be it, for Levi had simply brushed it off.

Irritation was becoming apparent on his features and Mikasa tapped him on the shoulder. "Eren? Don't make that face you look constipated."

"Elegant as always Mikasa," Eren retorted, "Don't mind me, so how was your day?"

Mikasa gave him a quick glare before responding, "Nothing particularly interesting happened today. Though Armin here did come up with some ideas for the formations."

Armin looked down at his food, picking at it as a slight blush danced across his cheeks. "It's nothing really."

Jean glanced over to the blond after the comment was made, "Nothing? Armin, you're a fucking genius! Everything you do isn't just 'nothing', you're going to get us places. I can see it now."

Armin's blush deepened at Jean's words and Eren couldn't help but chuckle at his friend's embarrassment. Eren had to admit it was strange seeing Jean being friendly but Armin deserved the praise. He always thought so little about himself; it usually did the shorter teen good to hear the praise. Armin's gaze focused on Eren, "So, what did you do today?"

The blond directed everyone's attention to Eren, suddenly eager to hear what he had to say. Only Sasha and Connie remained oblivious to what was going around them. The two were cracking jokes and playing with their food as Eren cleared his throat. "I trained. Corporal Levi actually trained with me, and I learned a few things."

"No shit? Humanity's Strongest decided to waste time on you?" Jean snorted and met Eren's glare with equal intensity, "Did he knock you on your ass? I don't think you could beat him in anything."

Eren's fist clenched at the words, "I actually knocked him on his ass and gave him that cut on his lip."

He didn't mention how sore his body was though. Healing powers or not, the smaller man packed a punch.

Jean just rolled his eyes, "I don't believe you. Well, I'm not going to waste my time on you tonight."

With that the teen pushed away from the table and left the dining quarters. Eren was tempted to go chase after him and beat him to a pulp but Mikasa was holding onto Eren's arm, and gave him a warning glare.

Armin dismissed himself, and soon Mikasa left too. Connie and Sasha had departed sometime ago, leaving Eren and a few stragglers alone in the dining area. The brunet stretched before he decided that he should leave as well. Eren was still curious to why Levi was acting like he did, and decided he wanted some closure before he had to descend into the basement for a night's sleep.

* * *

A yawn escaped past the Lance Corporal's lips, and he could feel his eyes start to grow heavy with sleep. Training with Eren had worn him out to an extent, and now he was becoming mentally exhausted. Sometimes he would regret being in charge of his own squad and not just be some random soldier. There was paperwork that he had to fill out as a leader, but not as a follower.

He glared at the said paperwork, and decided to take a break. He stood up and stretched out his back before popping his neck. He then walked around to the couch that was along the wall in his now tidy office and plopped down with a sigh escaping his mouth.

Levi closed his eyes for a moment, allowing his body to relax. It wouldn't kill him to get a quick nap before he finished up some paper work for the night. Of course he would have more the following day, but breaking it up into variables seemed to make it more tolerable.

There was a knock on his door, and Levi gave an audible groan. He shouted for them to come in, and didn't bother to open his eyes. He could sense a body standing before him, and he opened his eyes slowly to see Eren peering at him. Determination was visible in those damn eyes of his, "What do you want, Eren? Can't you see I'm exhausted?"

Eren bit his lower lip, hesitation became apparent and the teen shifted slightly to straighten his stance. "I'm sorry for interrupting sir, but I had a question."

"It couldn't wait for tomorrow?"

"No."

"Of course not," Levi scooted over on the couch to make room for Eren and patted the spot next to him, Eren complied, "Well, go ahead and ask. You have a time limit before I kick your ass out that door for bothering me while I was trying to get one fucking nap in."

Eren tensed and flicked his gaze to the Corporal's tired face, "Sir, I was wondering if I did something wrong."

It was Levi's turn to tense up, "That wasn't a question, Yeager."

"No, I guess not. Though they way you were acting after training, it made it seem like I did something wrong."

Levi shifted; his usual expression was visible as he responded to Eren, "I gave you a compliment didn't I? You did nothing wrong. Now is that all?"

The brunet didn't seem satisfied with the answer, "Sir, I still don't understand wh-"

"Yeager, please, get out. You got your answer, and this is the only time I'm asking nicely."

Eren seemed to be slightly hurt by the abruptness, but Levi didn't want to explain that he had to get away from Eren because he was blushing like some idiotic teenager. Levi said good night as Eren left and watched as the door closed. He felt bad for not telling the kid the whole truth, but it wasn't needed.

Levi allowed his eyes to slide shut once more, that disappointed face embedded into his mind. "Damn brat! I can't even fucking sleep without him messing with my damn mind."

Levi opened his eyes, and just let his thoughts wander. He thought of how Eren came in so determined but ended up being hesitant, and it brought a small smile to his lips. That brat went through so many emotions, it had to be exhausting. Of course Levi was a man of little emotion, he knew how to show them, but he just chose not to. Eren was the exact opposite, and Levi was always able to read him like an open book. Sure, Levi was aware of Eren's confusion and frustration towards the Lance Corporal's actions, but he didn't let the teen know that.

Then that grin Eren had plastered on his face when Levi told him he would train him. Just the thought of it brought slight heat to the Corporal's face, and he scowled at himself for wanting to see the brat smile from happiness. He was sure Eren had a lovely smile, and that grin made him want to see it.

The man ran a hand through his hair before returning to his desk, his feelings still jumbled. Levi had no idea what was going on, and he wasn't sure if he really wanted to know.

* * *

A/N: I don't really have much to say about this chapter for now. Maybe I will later, but right now I'm just tired.

You guys seem to be coming out of no where! I'm glad you are all enjoying this so far!


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